Tongue-truck.



T. C. DUNCAN.

TONGUE TRUCK.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. 13. I916.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

T. c. DUNCAN.

TONGUE TRUCK.

APPLICATION. FILED OCT. 13.1916.

251,3556, Patented Dec. 25,1917.

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THOMAS C. DUNCAN, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

TONGUE-TRUCK.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 19-1 7.

Applicationfiled October 13, 1916.v Serial No. 125,478.

To all whom-it may concern Be it known that I, THoMA's G. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at-St'. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State: of Missouri, have invented-new and useful Improvements in Tongue-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tongue'trucks,

and it has particular reference to an improved tongue truck adaptedto be used in connection with grain binders and the like.

The invention has for its-object'to produce a tongue truck including a tongue, asupporting wheel for the same and a resilient connection between the wheel and the'tongue.

A further object of the invention is to producea tongue truck including an adjustinglever and a connection between said lever and the evener to which the drafti's attached, whereby the application of the draft will have a tendency to relieve the pressure of the tongue on the necks of the draft animals.

A further object of the invention is to produce a tongue truck and a connection be; tween the same and the binder to which it is applied, whereby theraising or lowering of the binder frame will so actuate theadjusting lever of the tongue truck that the binder frame will be maintained in a level position.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved. construction and novel arrangement and combination of partsfwhich will be hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawingshas' been illustrated a simple and'preferred' form of the invention, it being, however, understood thatno limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,

but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved tongue truck.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the rear portion of the tongue truck showing also a portion of a binder frame with which it is connected.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the parts in a diflerent position.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of'reference.

The tongue 15 is provided at its rear end with a vertical slit or kerf 161for' the recepe tion of a bracket member B having a straight forward portion l7 and an arcuate rear portion 18, the straight forwardportionbeing fitted in the slit'16 where it is firmly secured by transverse bolts 19. The

arcuate portion, 18' is curved downwardly and'rearwardly with respect totlie tongue, and it is provided at its rearward end with lugs 20 for the passage of the pivot member 21, whereby it is connected with'thejbinder frame, shown at H; 'Theforward portion of the bracket member is provided with laterally' extending lugs 22 for the passage of a vertically movable shank 23, the lower end of which has an enlarge'dhead' or bearing member 24. 25 is a crank arm having at its lower end a spindle 26' on which a caster wheel 27 is supportedfor rotation; the upper end of the crank arm'25 has a spindle 28 that pivotally engages the head or bearing member 24, said spindle being provided at one end with an arm 29. 1 A spring 30 that is coiledabout the bearing member 24 has one endextended in engagement with the arm 29, the other end of said spring. being suitably attached to or connected with the head or bearing member 24 so that the tension of the spring will be exerted to swing the crank arm carrying the wheel 27 in a downward direction, the'movement of the crank arm being limited by stop members 31. By the construction shown the weight of the tongue will have a tendency to tension the spring30 and, conversely, thespring willhave a tendency to support the weight of the tongue and relatedparts, affording a resilient sup.- port for the same.

An adjusting lever L, which is fulcrumed on the arcuate portion 18 of the bracket member B at 32, has a forwardly extending arm 33, a rearwardly extending arm 34 and an upwardly extending arm 35. The first mentioned arm 33 is provided at its forward end with a flange 36 having an elongated slot 37 for the passage of the shank 33 that carries the caster wheel, the slot 37 being of proper dimensions to permit rocking movement of the latter, while the fl.nge 36 engages the head or bearing member 24. The upwardly extending arm 35 of the adjusting lever is connected by a rod or connecting member 38 with the evener 39 with which the draftis in practice connected, said evener being connected with the tongue 15 in such a manner as to permit a longitudinal slidable movement thereof. It will be seen that when draft is applied to the evener the lever L will be rocked, the forwardly extending arm 33 of said lever being depressed against the head or bearing member 24: with the result that the tongue will be lifted, thereby relieving the necks of the draft animals of downward stress.

The tongue is pivotally connected by the member 2L with the binder frame H, and an upright 40 on said frame carries a tilting lever al which is connected by a link 42 with the bracket member B for the purpose of tilting the binder frame with respect to the tongue in the usual manner. The binder frame H is supported for vertical adjustment with respect to the axle 43 by means of pinions meshing with arcuate racks,one of said pinions being seen at 4a in engagement with an arcuate rack l5. Mounted in a convenient position on the binder frame, for instance, on the upright 40, is a guide pulley 46 over which passes a flexible element 47, one end of which is connected with the rearwardly extending arm 34 of the adjusting lever, while the other end is connected with a collar 48 on the axle 43. It will be seen that when the binder frame is lifted with respect to the axle, the guide pulley 46 will likewise be moved in an upward direction, tensioning the connecting member 4:? and exerting a stress on the lever L, whereby the forward end of said lever will be depressed, causing the tongue to be lifted with respect to the supporting wheel or caster 27, thereby maintaining the binder frame in a level position which would not be possible if the tongue were permitted to remain stationary.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. The construction of the improved tongue truck is very simple and inexpensive, and it may be readily installed on any binder of conventional construction on agricultural machines of various kinds in connection with which it is designed to be used.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. A tongue having a vertical slit at its rear end, a bracket member engaging said slit and secured by transverse bolts, said bracket member having laterally extending lugs, a rotary shank slidable in said lugs and having a head formed thereon, a caster wheel carried by said shank, and a suitably supported lever having a slotted flange engaging the head of the shank whereby downward stress may be exertedon the Wheel car- .rying shank to cause a corresponding lifting stress upon the tongue.

2. A tongue having a vertical slit at its rear end, a bracket member engaging said slit and secured by transverse bolts, said bracket member having laterally extending lugs, a rotary shank slidable in said lugs and having a head formed thereon, a caster wheel carried by said shank, a suitably supported lever having a slotted fiange engaging the head whereby downward stress may be exerted' on the'wheel carrying shank to cause a corresponding lifting stress upon the tongue, said lever having an upwardly extending arm, an evener connected with the tongue for longitudinal slidable movement, and a connection between said evener and the upwardly extending arm of the lever.

8. A tongue, a vertically slidable rotary shank connected therewith, a caster Wheel carried by said shank, an evener connected with the tongue for longitudinal slidable movement, a lever having an arm engaging the wheel carrying shank and an upwardly extending arm, and a connection between the upwardly extending arm and the evener whereby draft applied to the evener will rock the lever to produce a downward stress on the wheel carrying shank and a corresponding upward stress upon the tongue.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

THOMAS C. DUNCAN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. i 

